The Golden State Warriors will be in Los Angeles on Wednesday night for a showdown with the Clippers at Staples Center.

The two teams enter this huge Western Conference game on different trajectories, as the Warriors own the best record in the NBA and have won 14 of their last 15 games, while the Clippers are 2-4 in their last six matchups. But L.A. still is one of the NBA’s elite teams and can right the ship with a victory over its bitter rival.

He didn’t sign with them, but Kevin Durant was very impressed with the Los Angeles Clippers’ pitch to him this past summer.

Before tonight’s Warriors and Clippers matchup in Los Angeles, Durant reflected on how tough it was to turn down the Clippers in an interview with ESPN.

“Blake (Griffin), DJ (DeAndre Jordan) and CP (Chris Paul). That’s what made it interesting,” he said. “Those three guys are tremendous, and unbelievable talents. They made it tough on me.”

Despite not joining the Clippers, Durant says he still remains friends with many players on their roster.

“I think when once you get to that point in your life where you can separate the two (business and friendships), it makes friendships even better,” he said. “It makes relationships even better, and I think that’s the level we’re at right now.”

This won’t be the first time Durant faces the crowd of one of his summer suitors. The Boston Celtics’ faithful serenaded Durant with boos when the team faced the Warriors on Nov. 18th. Still, Durant is unfazed by the off-the-court storylines.

“(The Clippers) made it tough,” he said. “All that other stuff, I’ve been in L.A. every summer. The facilities, all that stuff is the same to me. As long as you have a court and a ball. The players, that’s what made it tough, and they did a great job.”

Paul Pierce still has a bit of basketball left in him, even if he needs some help once in a while.

Pierce, who is in the midst of his 19th and final season in the NBA, tried to slam home a dunk during the second quarter of the Los Angeles Clippers’ game against the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday, but he was fouled and missed.

Seeing a teammate in need, Chris Paul went over to Pierce after the missed dunk and gave him some fake CPR.

The Clippers sure are fun to watch this season, and they appear to be enjoying themselves, too.

Friday’s slate of NBA games includes a matchup between two of the Western Conference’s best teams: the Los Angeles Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder.

Russell Westbrook and Co. head to the Staples Center to take on the Clips, who own the best record in the league at 7-1. But Westbrook is a force to be reckoned with this season, as the point guard already has two triple-doubles in eight games and is averaging 31.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 9.5 assists per game.

Kevin Durant might not be the last superstar to shockingly leave the only team he’s ever played for in NBA free agency.

The free agent class of 2017 is top heavy with loads of talented players, most of whom are expected to remain with their current clubs and/or re-sign before even testing the waters. Names like Stephen Curry, Chris Paul and, until his recent extension, Russell Westbrook are the big ones, but there’s one All-Star whose name shouldn’t fly so far under the radar: Blake Griffin.

The Los Angeles Clippers’ star probably isn’t going anywhere. He’s got a great gig in L.A. both on the court and off of it, and he’s not shy about enjoying the Hollywood lifestyle.

But ahead of L.A.’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night, Griffin was asked about Westbrook, OKC’s superstar already vying for the league MVP while averaging 38.7 points, 12.3 rebounds and 11.7 assists through his team’s first three games of the season — all wins.

Blake Griffin praising Russell Westbrook: "That's just his personality, to just go and destroy." https://t.co/lj0dCVPj6a

While that’s just a nine-word compliment that probably isn’t anything more than sincere admiration and an honest attempt not to provide any bulletin board material for an angry, chip-on-his-shoulder star, it might be a glimpse into the brain of Griffin, who clearly appreciates Westbrook’s work.

We’d be remiss not to mention, of course, that Griffin hails from Oklahoma and even went to college there before being drafted by L.A. first overall in 2009. In an eerie coincidence, Westbrook hails from L.A. and played for UCLA before being drafted fourth overall by OKC a year earlier.

If only by that circumstance alone, it seems probable that at some point in their careers, Griffin and Westbrook will play together. Aiding that fantasy factory is Griffin’s recent injury history, his off-court issues with a former Clippers employee that led to Griffin breaking his hand in a fight, and L.A.’s inability to advance past the second round of the playoffs in five seasons with their “Big Three” that includes Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan.

And besides, the pundits will argue, the Clippers played just fine while Griffin nursed a quad injury in the second half last season — despite the terrific numbers they were missing without him. And to take it a step further, Paul is four years older will be out of his “championship prime” well before Griffin is — unlike Westbrook, who is the same age.

Of course, other stars recently have shunned their hometowns in favor of greener pastures or loyalty — Kevin Durant with Washington, DeMar DeRozan and Westbrook with L.A. last summer are three who come to mind. Heck, even LeBron James left Cleveland for four years before ultimately returning with two rings in his back pocket.

So who knows what will happen. But given the very public falling out between Durant and Westbrook following the former’s decision to leave OKC in July, it never hurts to start saying nice things about your potential future All-Star teammate a little early.

The Golden State Warriors somehow got better after a record-setting 73-win season by adding superstar Kevin Durant, giving them ridiculous 2-3 odds win the 2017 NBA title and avenge last season’s bitter Finals loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

So, why should we even play the 2016-17 regular season? Turns out there are plenty of reasons, as the Western Conference is loaded with intriguing storylines like Russell Westbrook’s Vengeance Tour in Oklahoma City and an assembling of incredible young talent in Minnesota.

How will the West shake out? Let’s break it down by division, with each team’s projected 2016-17 record and overall finish in the West in parentheses.

2. Los Angeles Clippers (52-30; 3rd)Key Additions:Brandon Bass (free agency), Marreese Speights (free agency)Key Departures: NoneSkinny: The Clippers have won 53-plus games in four consecutive seasons yet haven’t advanced past the second round in any of them. There’s a good chance that streak extends to five.

3. Sacramento Kings (34-48, 12th)Key Additions: Georgios Papagiannis (draft)Key Departures:Rajon Rondo (free agency)Skinny:The Kings have a brand new arena and a new head coach in Dave Joerger. Outside that, there’s not much to get excited about in Sacramento outside watching DeMarcus Cousins drop double-doubles every night.

4. Los Angeles Lakers (26-56, 13th)Key Additions:Brandon Ingram (draft), Timofey Mozgov (free agency)Key Departures:Kobe Bryant (retirement)Skinny: Year One of Life Without Kobe should be entertaining, at least: We get to see what D’Angelo Russell can do, if Brandon Ingram can live up to the hype and why the heck the Lakers paid Mozgov $64 million.

SOUTHWEST DIVISION1. San Antonio Spurs (55-27, 2nd)Key Additions:Pau Gasol(free agency), David Lee (free agency)Key Departures:Tim Duncan (retirement), Boris Diaw (trade)Skinny: It’s hard to imagine a Spurs team without Duncan. But outside him and Diaw, the most important parts of this well-oiled team remain intact. Gregg Popovich’s club once again should be the best team in the West not named Golden State.

2. Memphis Grizzlies (46-36, 4th)Key Additions:Chandler Parsons (free agency)Key Departures:Lance Stephenson (free agency)Skinny: The Grizzlies were absolutely decimated by injuries last season, and Parsons missing the season opener as he recovers from knee surgery is an ominous start to 2016-17. When healthy, though, Memphis is one of the top four teams in the West.

3. Houston Rockets (40-42, 9th)Key Additions:Ryan Anderson (free agency), Eric Gordon (free agency)Key Departures:Dwight Howard (free agency)Skinny: Losing Howard is addition by subtraction. But the bottom of the West playoff picture figures to be crowded, and James Harden doesn’t have enough talent around him to push this team into the playoffs.

4. Dallas Mavericks (39-43, 10th)Key Additions: Harrison Barnes (free agency), Andrew Bogut (free agency)Key Departures: Chandler Parsons (free agent)Skinny: There’s reason for optimism in Dallas after it poached Barnes and Bogut from the Warriors, but the rest of the West is just too good for the Mavs to sneak into the postseason.

5. New Orleans Pelicans (24-58, 14th)Key Additions:Buddy Hield (draft), Lance Stephenson (free agency)Key Departures: Ryan Anderson (free agency), Eric Gordon (free agency)Skinny: Can we just put Anthony Davis in a bubble already? The injury bug keeps biting the über-talented big man, who is essential to any success this team wants to have. At least we’ll get a good look at Hield.

NORTHWEST DIVISION1. Portland Trail Blazers (46-36, 5th)Key Additions: Evan Turner (free agency), Festus Ezeli (free agency)Key Departures:NoneSkinny: Almost everyone slept on the Blazers last season, and they got burned. The West would be wise to take Portland seriously this season, as Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum represent one of the best backcourts in the business.

3. Oklahoma City Thunder (44-37, 7th)Key Additions: Victor Oladipo (trade), Domantas Sabonis (draft)Key Departures: Kevin Durant (free agency), Serge Ibaka (trade)Skinny:The supporting cast is good enough and Russell Westbrook is angry enough for this team to return to the playoffs without KD. Here’s hoping they fall to the 8th seed and play the Warriors in the opening round of the playoffs.

4. Minnesota Timberwolves (43-39, 8th)Key Additions:Kris Dunn (draft), Cole Aldrich (free agency)Key Departures:Kevin Garnett (retirement)Skinny: The future rapidly is becoming the present in Minnesota. The Wolves might be the NBA’s most exciting team to watch this season outside Golden State, and a playoff berth is a very realistic goal.

5. Denver Nuggets (35-47, 11th)Key Additions:Jamal Murray (draft), Juan Hernangomez (draft)Key Departures: NoneSkinny: The Nuggets could have a nice young nucleus on their hands with Murray, Emmanuel Mudiay and Nikola Jokic. But success still is at least a few seasons away.

In 1999, the Chicago Bulls selected Elton Brand with the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft. Seventeen years later, Brand finally has retired from the league.

He lasted just two years with the Chicago Bulls and spent 11 seasons on losing teams around the league, but Brand was a model of consistency in the NBA.

Brand averaged more than 18 points and nine rebounds per game through his first eight seasons before tearing his Achilles in 2007. He fought back to rehab from the injury and continue to produce for nearly another decade before deciding to retire.

NESN.com’s Rachel Holt tells you what Brand had to say at the conclusion of his career in the video above.

With the start of the NBA regular season just two weeks away, the Boston Celtics continue to maintain solid odds of claiming their first championship since 2008, as they’re pegged at just +1800 at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.

Boston made an early exit from the postseason last spring for a second straight year, with the Atlanta Hawks bouncing the C’s in the first round in six games. That marked their fourth straight playoff series loss.

However, the additions of free agent power forward Al Horford and 19-year-old small forward Jaylen Brown, whom the Celtics selected with the third pick at this year’s NBA Draft, complement a young squad that gained valuable experience while winning 48 games last season.

It remains to be seen, though, whether the youthful Celtics will be able to keep pace with the trio of teams atop the NBA championship odds, led by the Golden State Warriors, who have improved to -125 chalk at the sportsbooks.

The Warriors fell short in their bid to successfully defend their title last spring, blowing a 3-1 series lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals, capped by a 93-89 Game 7 loss on home court.

Golden State responded with a bold move in the offseason, inking coveted free agent Kevin Durant to a two-year deal, which spurred their rapid ascent on the futures.

Not surprisingly, the Cavaliers continue to be Golden State’s top competition at sportsbooks, perched at an attractive +300 to repeat as champions. Once again, the success of the Cavaliers rests on the shoulders of LeBron James, who is expected to get help from a maturing supporting cast that includes Kyrie Irving, who tallied 19.6 points per game last season, and Tristan Thompson, who led the squad with 268 offensive rebounds.

The San Antonio Spurs round out the front of the pack, climbing to +900 on the NBA championship odds. The Spurs begin life without Tim Duncan, who retired following last season, but have filled the gap by bringing in six-time All-Star center Pau Gasol.

With Duncan gone, the squad now belongs to forwards Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge, who powered San Antonio to an impressive 67 wins last season by tallying 22.5 and 21.9 points per game, respectively.

The Los Angeles Clippers won 53 games last season but made a quick exit from the first round of the playoffs. They look toward the upcoming campaign sporting +2500 title odds.

A trio of clubs follow at +4000, with the Toronto Raptors, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Chicago Bulls at those odds, while the Indiana Pacers sit alongside the Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, and Memphis Grizzlies at +6600 on the NBA title futures.

The Los Angeles Clippers forward had lost a few steps before he was traded away from the Boston Celtics three years ago, and he hasn’t really found them along the way in his three stops since with the Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards and Clippers.

The 38-year-old revealed that someone close to him actually was surprised — not about his retirement at the end of this season, but rather that he’s coming back for one more season in the first place.

WALTHAM, Mass. — Paul Pierce pulled a Kobe Bryant on Monday, announcing this upcoming season will be his last. But his former boss believes it could be more of a Michael Jordan situation.

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge was asked Monday at the team’s media day what he thought of Pierce stepping away after the 2016-17 campaign, but he didn’t sound too sure that’d actually be the case.

“First of all, I think Paul can play for a few more years,” Ainge said. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

So why does Ainge, who won an NBA title with Pierce in 2008 and spent roughly a decade with the 10-time All-Star, think Pierce will be back for more two seasons from now?

“Paul loves the game,” Ainge said. “He loves basketball, and I think that it’s hard to see him walking away. I know there will come a time when he will, but he’s one of the greatest Celtics of all time. He’s a great competitor.

“The thing that stands out more than anything about Paul — after all of the great shots and great plays and everything else that he did here — was just watching him, sitting right outside my office, seeing him come in at midnight and work on his game and work on his conditioning. He really loved the game and took it very seriously.”

Relentless work ethic notwithstanding, the 38-year-old clearly is in the twilight of his career, having averaged just 18.1 minutes and 6.1 points per game for the Los Angeles Clippers last season. And perhaps his former teammate, Kevin Garnett, recently calling it quits pushed Pierce to realize his time has come.

It sounds like Ainge doesn’t buy that explanation, but at least Avery Bradley, the only current Celtic to play with both players, seems to be accepting the truth.

“I’m sad, because we’re all going to miss them,” Bradley said of Pierce and Garnett. “The game is going to miss them, because we appreciate them so much. But I’m happy for them at the same time, because they accomplished so many things.

Paul Pierce’s NBA career, which began in Boston and almost certainly will end in Springfield, is coming to an end.

The NBA veteran announced Monday that the 2016-17 season will be the final of his career. Pierce is gunning for one more world championship with the Los Angeles Clippers, the team with which he played last season and the third stop in his tremendous career after 15 seasons with the Boston Celtics and one season each with the Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards.

“After 18 NBA years,” Pierce wrote on The Players’ Tribune, “it’s hard to believe I’ll be playing in each arena for the last time. So I’m going to enjoy every practice, every bus ride, every team dinner, every time running out through the tunnel. I’m going to do my part to give us a shot at the ultimate goal.”

Pierce also discussed his decision in this video.

Pierce’s first season in Los Angeles didn’t go as he probably would have hoped. The 38-year-old endured the worst season of his career, averaging just 18.1 minutes and 6.1 points per game. His 36.3 percent shooting percentage was nearly 10 points below his career average.

The Clippers, if healthy, can contend in the Western Conference. Injuries derailed the club last season, but a healthy slate, combined with a quest to get Pierce one more ring before he walks away, could provide quite a bit of motivation.

The surefire Basketball Hall of Famer was traded back to the Minnesota Timberwolves in February 2015 to finish his career with the team he began with, and signed a two-year extension later that summer to remain with them through this coming NBA season.

But that was then, when Garnett still had something left in the tank and Flip Saunders was running the show. Now, Garnett faces the reality of a new coach and president of basketball operations in Tom Thibodeau taking over the Wolves and the fact that The Big Ticket only has been able to play 43 games in the past season and a half since his return.

But here’s the thing: That just doesn’t make much sense. Garnett wants to retire in Minnesota, so if he wasn’t going to play this season he’d just retire. Whether a player is bought out or retires, money still counts against the salary cap, so Minnesota isn’t getting any relief. And Garnett’s presence in practices and locker rooms is clearly more valuable than any other 15th man in the NBA. So what gives?

Maybe the Wolves are (understandably) ready to move on, but Garnett doesn’t want to hang it up. If that happens to be the case, we took a stab at Garnett’s five best options moving forward.

Retire
Maybe it’s a sign, Kevin.

Garnett has long been rumored to be interested in an ownership stake with Minnesota, and he’d make a great coach or front office person if he’s so inclined. But if the Wolves are forcing Garnett off the court, there could be some resentment.

Return to the Boston Celtics
You know you were thinking the same thing.

Look, KG is fiercely loyal. When he commits, he commits, and he committed to ending his career in Minnesota. But if he still wants to play one more season, it would be a lot easier to do so for the franchise with whom he won his only championship. And man would Celtics fans welcome him back with open arms.

Join the Los Angeles Clippers
It’s likely Paul Pierce’s last season, and despite super teams like the revamped Golden State Warriors standing in their way, the Clippers have a very good shot at winning a title this season. Plus, Doc Rivers runs the show, and there’s plenty guys like Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan who could learn from KG.

Join the Chicago Bulls
It’s a stretch, but Garnett went to high school in Chicago and won the Gatorade Player of the Year Award with Farragut Academy before being selected fifth overall in the 1995 NBA Draft. Plus, he’d get a reunion with old friend Rajon Rondo.

Get a TV gig
Garnett is a walking quote machine and an extremely knowledgeable player. He’s also very funny and very interesting. We can’t see this actually happening, but he’d be good at it if he wanted to be.

The Blake Griffin trade rumors have subsided in recent months, and the reason for that is probably pretty simple.

If the latest Basketball Insiders report is any indication, both Griffin and the Los Angeles Clippers seem insistent on Griffin staying in L.A. for quite some time.

“Sources close to Griffin have been adamant he is planning to re-sign in L.A. and that he’s not going anywhere,” Basketball Insiders’ Steve Kyler writes. “Clippers president and head coach Doc Rivers has mirrored that, saying he believes Griffin retires as a Clipper.”

Griffin — and star point guard Chris Paul — both are set to enter free agency next summer, which means these are important times for the Clippers.

Regardless, Kyler also reported that no matter what happens this season, the Clippers are committed to keeping both players and won’t be exploring trades for either.

Griffin endured the most difficult season of his six-year career in 2015-16. The 26-year-old played in only 35 games after hurting his hand in a fight with a team employee before suffering a hamstring injury that limited him down the stretch and into the playoffs. When he did play, the Oklahoma product was right around his career averages in points (21.4) and rebounds (6.9) last season.

Jordan crashed Kevin Durant’s interview during a Team USA media session Wednesday and asked the seven-time All-Star why he didn’t sign with the Los Angeles Clippers this offseason. The result was an awkward, albeit playful, encounter that probably didn’t sit well with Durant judging by his reaction.

Durant, of course, met with the Clippers before signing with the Golden State Warriors earlier this month. Los Angeles reportedly wanted to create a “big four” comprised of Durant, Jordan, Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, but the sales pitch wasn’t enough.

Durant and Jordan will team up next month in Rio with an eye toward Olympic gold. That doesn’t mean a rivalry won’t start brewing once the two disperse, though.

Everyone figures to be gunning for the Warriors, who’ve been dubbed the NBA’s superpower, and the teams that came up short after meeting with Durant in The Hamptons probably want to rain on Golden State’s parade more than anyone.

There’s just something about NBA players who are coached by Doc Rivers that ultimately draws them back to him someday.

Brandon Bass is the latest in a long line of Rivers’ former players to join him with the Los Angeles Clippers, as the Los Angeles Lakers’ free-agent forward reportedly spurned the San Antonio Spurs to join the other L.A. team, per Shams Charania of The Vertical.

Lakers free agent Brandon Bass has reached agreement on a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Clippers, league sources tell The Vertical.

The addition of Bass provides bench depth that the Clippers have sorely lacked for the past several seasons.

Bass’ perimeter defense, rebounding and mid-range shooting certainly will help the Clippers, who often are forced to play their starters a large amount of minutes due to a lack of any players Rivers trusts. Bass is a guy who fills that role for the Clippers coach and president of basketball operations.

The NBA offseason is far from over, and the Boston Celtics are right in the thick of things.

The Celtics, who lost out to the Golden State Warriors in the Kevin Durant sweepstakes, reportedly have their eyes on some premier trade targets, most notably Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook and, per the latest reports, Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin.

Sporting News’ Sean Deveney added to the Griffin rumors Thursday, reporting via league sources that Griffin, not Westbrook, now is Boston’s likely trade target, and that “a major deal” involving the club is “coming soon.”

The trade for Griffin reportedly would be a three-team deal involving the Sacramento Kings sending Rudy Gay to the Clippers, but there could be a hang-up on the Celtics’ end.

“The Celtics would give up some number of their upcoming draft picks,” Deveney writes, “but opposing front-office members say they don’t want to give up either Brooklyn pick Boston can own in the next two years.”

The Celtics own the rights to the Brooklyn Nets’ first-round picks in both the 2017 and 2018 NBA Drafts, and given the current state of the Nets, both could be high lottery selections. The 2017 draft also is expected to be one of the strongest in recent memory, which could explain president of basketball operations Danny Ainge’s reported hesitation to part with two of his most prized assets.

That said, the C’s are in a great position to succeed after acquiring Al Horford in free agency, and adding a player like Griffin or Westbrook could make them legitimate title contenders. Deveney threw a bit of cold water on the Westbrook rumors, however, reporting that the All-Star guard’s representatives “have been given no word of a potential deal” and that a deal is “unlikely.”

Ainge and Co. clearly have some decisions to make going forward, but it appears the Celtics will be the team to watch as trade season heats up.